Stone Lithography

The course will encompass basic drawing and printing techniques of the planographic process of traditional stone lithography, including reductive techniques. Special demonstrations will include making your own lithography drawing materials (pencils, crayons, and tusche). Students will be introduced to basic black and white processing and color printing, resulting in a multiple color edition as an end product of the course.

Michael Barnes was born in Michigan and grew up outside the small town of Ithaca, where his family lived on a wooded plot in the midst of farmland. This wooded plot contained a 19th century family cemetery where he spent much of his youth playing and fostering his imagination for later ventures in his artistic life. He went on to receive his BFA from Alma College in 1991 and his MFA from the University of Iowa in 1996. Michael developed a passion for the medium of lithography during his graduate studies at Iowa and has focused on this process for much of his work since. He now resides in St. Charles, Illinois, near Chicago, and is a professor of printmaking at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.

Metal Engraving

In this workshop participants will learn the traditional method of line engraving. The burin (or graver) is used to carve directly into metal and produces a calligraphic mark that can create lines of varying widths. I will instruct on how to hold the tool correctly and discuss trouble-shooting involved when first learning how to engrave. Safety issues related to hand engraving will also be addressed. Demonstrations on a variety of sharpening methods (Crocker, jig and GRS sharpening hone) will be shown, and sample prints that illustrate a variety of interpretations of the technique ranging from beginner to technical masters will be available. Plenty of class time will be devoted to honing your skills, and a variety of mark making exercises will be given before embarking on your image. We will also cover some of the history of engraving ranging from its origin to contemporary interpretations of the mark.

James Ehlers was born and raised in Lake Charles, LA. He earned his MFA from the University of Florida and is currently the Don and Mary Glaser Distinguished Professor of Engraving Arts at Emporia State University in Kansas, the only school in the nation to offer a BFA with a concentration in Engraving Arts. Since 2007, he has given numerous engraving workshops at various events including Frogman’s Print Workshop, IMPACT Printmaking Conferences, MAPC, SGCI, and universities around the country. He has participated in group exhibitions in Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Poland, Portugal, Norway, Romania, The Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, and across the United States. He is also a certified FEGA Master Engraver.

Color Intaglio

This exciting and in-depth printmaking workshop explores various ways to create different layers, textures and colors using the intaglio process. In addition to plate making, we learn about and experiment with different registrations, printing and editioning. Color intaglio printing processes are introduced and demonstrated including color mixing, ink modification, multiple plate color layering and the use of chine collé. By the end of this workshop, students will possess a strong understanding of multiple plate intaglio printing and leave class with a colorful edition of prints containing their own unique imagery.

Eunkang Koh received her BFA from Hong-Ik University in Seoul, South Korea and MFA from California State University in Long Beach, California. Koh works in various media including printmaking, book arts, drawing, and installation to address social phenomena in our contemporary consumerist society. She has had significant solo exhibitions that include Main Gallery, The Society of Northern Alberta Print-Artists in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; and La Taller in Bilbao, Spain. Koh also has participated national and international group exhibitions such as Centro Civico Pati Limona in Barcelona, Spain; Art Space Jungmiso in Seoul, South Korea; Mei Lun Gallery at Huan Fine Art Institute in Changsha, China; and Central Booking in New York City, New York. She has been invited to artist residency’s including Seacourt, Bangor, Northern Ireland, Frans Masereel Centrum in Kasterlee, Belgium; Guanlan Original Printmaking Base in Shenzhen, China; Chhaap Printmaking Studio in Baroda, India and Kala Art Institute in Berkeley, California. Koh is an Associate Professor teaching printmaking and drawing in the Art Department at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Wile Out with Woodcut!

This workshop will cut to the heart of individual and collaborative relief printmaking using the reductive method. Techniques covered include carving, registration, creative color mixing, inventive inking, press printing, hand burnishing, and tool care. Each participant will individually create and edition images to form a collaborative mural that will be installed in a public location in Omaha. Additionally, participants will view and discuss prints from the instructors’ extensive collection.

Ryan O’Malley was born and raised in Laramie, Wyoming. He received his BFA in Printmaking from the University of South Dakota in 2002, and his Master of Fine Arts degree from Louisiana State University in 2005. After working as an artistic stonemason in Denver, Colorado he spent two years as Visiting Assistant Professor of Art at Davidson College in North Carolina. Ryan has toured extensively with Drive-By Press, a mobile printmaking studio, and is currently the Assistant Professor of Printmaking at Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi. His work has been included in numerous national and international exhibitions, publications, portfolios and collections. Ryan recently had a series of mezzotints purchased by the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, North Carolina and the Jundt Art Museum in Spokane, Washington. He exhibited on the occasion of the Venice Biennale 54th international Arts Exhibition, and he has had solo exhibitions during the Printmaking In Graafika Festival in Parnü, Estonia, and across France.

Monotype / Monoprint Panoply

Focusing on the nature of the mark-making various print media allow, rather than the reproducibility of image through process, this workshop will consider the possibility and power of the one-of-a-kind image. Participants will work with exercises and techniques that allow for translation of images and ideas through multiple media, creating a substantial body of work within a short period of time. We will begin by constructing a personal vocabulary of correspondent shapes, surfaces and palette to carry a series to resolution, and move through a process of establishing multiple matrix options and paper applications. If you love making images with print but don’t love editioning, this class is for you!

Jillian Sokso is a visual artist working and living in Northwest Oregon. A Philadelphia native, she studied printmaking at Moore College of Art and Design and the University of Delaware. She has exhibited nationally and internationally since 2004, and her work is included in many collections public and private. Recent exhibitions include In the Shadow of the Mountain; As if the Sea Were Nothing, Reynolds Gallery, Stockton California, Grafting Ammunition, Painted Bride Arts Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and The Other: Nurturing a New Ecology in Printmaking, Museum of Contemporary Art, Jacksonville, Florida. She is a former recipient of the NYFA strategic opportunity stipend grant, and has been an artist in residence at The Virginia Center for Creative Arts, The Women’s Studio Workshop and the Contemporary Arts Center at Woodside.

Letterpress

This workshop will explore the contemporary poster and new expressive techniques in letterpress printing. The basics of setting wood type and printing on a cylinder press will be covered, and then participants will quickly dive into fresh ideas that keep the poster and process relevant today. Some alternative techniques that will be incorporated include: pressure printing, non-traditional forms, and laser-cut blocks. There will be demonstrations and show-and-tell time each day, but there will be also be plenty of time for exploration and printing.

Brad Vetter is a designer, artist, educator and letterpress printer currently based in Louisville, KY. After studying graphic design at Western Kentucky University, Brad spent eight years honing his craft and printing posters at the legendary Hatch Show Print in Nashville, TN. After Hatch, Brad became an independent printer and designer under the mantle Brad Vetter Design. Bouncing between antique letterpress equipment and contemporary technologies, he continues to hand print rock-and-roll posters while also adding some digital design to his repertoire. Recent poster clients include Mumford & Sons, Van Morrison and Chris Stapleton just to name a few. His letterpress inspired labels also adorn every bottle of Signal Ridge Vineyard wine. Brad frequently lectures and hosts workshops throughout the US on his unique techniques and processes. His print work has been shown in such notable venues as the San Francisco MoMA, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, Columbia College Center for Book and Paper, and the Danish Museum of Media.

Wonderful Color Woodcut

Participants in this workshop will create a color relief print using multiple blocks, relying on a key block to define registration for the supplemental color blocks. Printing with multiple blocks allows the maker to explore varying color choices and sequence of layers across impressions. Accurate registration between blocks, image development using transparent color inks versus opaque, using stencils to print multiple colors simultaneously, and reductive carving techniques will be demonstrated and discussed as applicable techniques to employ while participants create there own editions. Prior experience with relief printing is helpful but not necessary.

Brett Anderson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Art at the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville. Brett grew up in central Missouri, earning his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Missouri in 1999 and his Master of Fine Arts from the University of South Dakota in 2002. He has had solo exhibitions in Oregon, Arizona, California, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Missouri and participated in over 100 group exhibitions nationally over the past 10 years. Brett has also traveled the country as a visiting artist, recently leading workshops on relief printmaking techniques in Texas, California, and North Carolina.

Water-based Screenprint

This course will present basic techniques for water-based screenprinting. A wide range of stencil-making options will be demonstrated, including hand-painted stencils, cut paper, rubylith, and photo emulsion for hand-drawn, digital, photographic and CMYK 4-color process printing. Various registration methods will also be covered, such as kento, acetate, and pin registration. Participants will work with these processes throughout the week to develop their own imagery and create multi-layered prints. We will also touch on screenprint monoprints and monotypes. No previous experience is required.

Janet Ballweg received an MFA from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and a BS in Art from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She is currently a Professor of Art and Head of the Printmaking program at Bowling Green State University in northwest Ohio, where she has taught since 1990. Her ongoing research focuses on the integration of digital and traditional printmaking technologies. Exhibited in over 400 exhibitions across the U.S. and abroad, Ballweg has received numerous awards for her artwork, including an Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award, and she has been awarded residencies across the United States and in Italy and China.

Joining the Dark Side: Mezzotint

Mezzotint is considered by many to be unrivaled in its ability to render soft tonal gradations through one of the widest ranges of values and the darkest, most velvety black possible in a printmaking process. This workshop will immerse participants in all things mezzotint. Hands on demonstrations will cover every aspect of plate development from preparation of a copper plate for rocking a mezzotint ground, image development and transfer, scraping and burnishing of the image, as well as tool handling and sharpening. In addition to these demos there will be special consideration for assessing plate progress and how inking/wiping techniques will affect the outcome of the printed impression. By working alongside course participants and making a plate step by step from bare copper to finished impression, the goal is to thoroughly demystify the process of mezzotint engraving for everyone involved. Participants can expect to study a variety of historical and contemporary examples of mezzotint, engage in group and individual feedback, and complete one or more plates during the course.

Jacob Crook was born in St. Louis, MO in 1985. He completed his MFA in printmaking from Syracuse University in 2014 and received a BFA with emphasis in painting from the University of Missouri in 2009. Crook works primarily in the intaglio printmaking technique of mezzotint, but is also trained as an observational oil painter and draftsman. His works have been exhibited both nationally and internationally including recently at the Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts in Russia and the Fort Wayne Museum of Art and can be found in numerous academic institutions and private collections. He currently lives Starkville, MS and works as Exhibition Coordinator in the Department of Art at Mississippi State University.

Relief Engraving

The basics of relief engraving (also known as wood-engraving) will be covered in this class including: tool usage, carving techniques, and printing techniques. Use of line, composition, pattern, value, and emotive imagery will also be covered. All carving will be done on HIPS -High Impact Polystyrene- a plastic polymer ideal for printmaking. Participants will be encouraged to experiment with stencil methods, shaped plates and monoprint processes to create unique prints. We will look at using plates as a vocabulary for finished artwork, utilizing registration and stencil methods to print multiple plates to form new and different compositions. A class exchange portfolio will be encouraged but not mandatory, as the editioning of HIPS engravings is incredibly fast!

Johanna Mueller is a printmaker, artist, and entrepreneur, born and raised in Denver, now residing in Greeley, CO. She earned a BFA in printmaking from The Metropolitan University of Denver and an MFA in printmaking from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. She has had the opportunity to speak to students about her work, the business of art, as well as demonstrate engraving methods at institutions including: The University of Denver, Vanderbilt University, Bowling Green State University, Bethel College, Texas A&M University of Corpus Christi, and many more. Johanna has been the recipient of the Laila Twigg Smith Artist Residency Program at the Donkey Mill Arts Center, in Kona, HI, the Jentel Foundation Artist Residency in Banner, WY and Anderson Ranch Arts Center Artist Residency in Snowmass, CO. Currently, Johanna is a full time artist and teaches Printmaking at Aims Community College.

Voodoo Litho

Richard Peterson received his BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute and his MFA cum laude from the Instituto Allende / Universidad de Guanajuato, Mexico. He recently retired from the College of the Sequoias in Visalia, CA, where he served as department chair and taught drawing and lithography. He is a member of the Los Angeles Printmaking Society and the Southern Graphics Council. He has received the National Drawing Association’s Award of Excellence, the Dewar’s young artist recognition award for excellence in painting / printmaking in the State of California and he has been in over 100 group and solo shows and is in many collections including University Wisconsin, Parkside; University of Wisconsin, Madison; Rutgers University; Chico State University; Ventura College; University of Alaska-Anchorage; and University of Louisiana, Lafayette; among others. He holds a U.S. patent for digital lithography, patent number 5,778,790.

Books, Boxes and Boundaries

Focusing on the expanded use of single spread bindings as a means for artistic production, participants will explore a variety of book structures that lend themselves to multiple creative practices such as photography, alternative photographic processes and non-silver techniques, as well as printmaking and collage. Structures taught, along with variations on each, include the drum leaf, the leporello and the blizzard book, among many others. These single spread bindings are well suited to the numerous practices noted above, as imposition is not a concern and allows for multiple modifications. Traditional and innovative demonstrations for covering embellishments in union with the book format will illustrate boundless expressive potential. Additionally, enclosures for each set of books will round out the week leaving each participant with a series of ornamental books housed within various boxes and enclosures..

Cynthia Nourse Thompson is currently an Associate Professor and Director of the MFA program in Book Arts and Printmaking at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. She has also been named Curator and Consulting Visual Arts Director for the Joy Pratt Markham Gallery at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville, AR. Prior to this position, Thompson served as Associate Professor and Curator of Exhibitions at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Previously, Thompson served for twelve years as Professor of Book, Print, and Paper Arts at Memphis College of Art [MCA], Chair of the Fine Arts Department, and Curator and Director of Visiting Artist Lectures.

Thompson has also been visiting faculty at University of Georgia’s study abroad program in Cortona, Italy; the Santa Reparata International School of Art in Florence, Italy; and the University of Arkansas Program in Rome, Italy. Thompson has been awarded numerous residencies including Yaddo, Columbia College Chicago Center for Book and Paper Arts, Women’s Studio Workshop, the Visual Studies Workshop, Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Atlanta Printmakers Studio, Oregon College of Art and Craft in Portland, Oregon, and a winter letterpress residency at Penland School of Craft. Thompson received her BFA in Printmaking from the Maryland Institute College of Art and her MFA from Rutgers. In addition to teaching and curating, Thompson previously worked at Dieu Donne Papermill, Harlan & Weaver Intaglio, and the Rutgers Center for Innovative Print and Paper, now the Brodsky Center for Innovative Editions.